Basic Home Automation Profiles

[Ed Nelson]

Hello all;

I have made it a quest to educate our clients on the possibilities of Home Automation. On our web site, we have a link: "design your lifestyle" which takes customers through the various automation options (a tool customized by the folks at SET-NET) My original efforts have appeared to overwhelm our
clients with the proverbial Chinese menu. I am therefore looking to develop 4 "typical" automation packages. I'd be interested in the feedback from the
forum.

Thanks in advance.

- Ed


HA Basic - Unified Command & Control
Summary: Control all A/V devices via single intelligent controller
Control lights, pool, garage doors..etc.
- HA Wiring Package
: 2 Multimedia wall terminations per room
* 3 RG6 (HD Component Video)
2 18/2 (RCA Left/Right Audi)
1 CAT5E (Telephone or Network)
- Pronto TSU9600
- Programing of all current electronic components
- Macro's for controlling input selection and specific device screen templates


HA Audio - Whole House Audio
Summary: Listen to music from up to 6 separate source in 8 separate zones
Basic Infrastructure for distributed HD
- HA Wiring Package (see above)
- Nuvo Grand Concerto and Touch Screen with extra RG6 and 18/3 for future)
- Central Wiring Closet w/ Mixed Media Patch Panel (Cat5E / RG6)

HA Security / Lighting:
- HA Basic (above)
- Elk M1 Gold
- Insteon Interface (M1-XSP, 2414)
- Trigger Voice Announcements
- Lighting scenarios

HA HVAC
- HA Security / Lighting (Above)
- AprilAire HVAC Interface
- Rain8 Irrigation Interface
- Ceiling Fan Interface
- Automated Shade Interface


Add On Options can include:

- RFid triggered events
- Customized home event triggers
- Remote Access to home via ElkRM


Thanks again for your input.

- Ed

 

[shenandoah75]

Funny how those types of surveys baffle/frustrate people. I scanned it, and right off i felt overwhelmed (and i write software/user interfaces for a living!)... I've tried to come up with similar things both on comps and on paper and generally am not too successful. I find that ultimately, you're going to sit down and review every answer they gave you to make sure they really mean what they say after you explain it to them/ I think sometimes the "call for a consultation" is just the best you can do...


That said, even with four profiles i think there are risks. For example, what if a potential customer has done a little bit of research. Take me - been researching Whole house audio for 12 months now and just now coming toa conclusion. I know i don't really need multi-zone and nuvo's offerings don't interest me. You risk someone in that category potentially turning away because they think you've limited your offerings too much to a single package.

Anyway, i think you might want to have two things:
1) summaries of what you can do without regards to vendors/products
2) a list of vendors whose technologies you work with (this one could be graphical with hyperlinks to their websites)

- see http://www.elkproducts.com/products/m1/m1partners.htm or http://www.charmedquark.com/Web/Links/Inte...%20Partners.htmfor what i mean

of course the second recommendation puts a risk too, if they go to elk's site and find they can do some of this on their own, you could loose them... So i think it's a catch 22, but if i do ever leave software industry, the H/a, networking, security arena would likely be where i'd like to be and i think i'd probably take the risk on providing as brief an education as possible , clearly indicating they should call me for more info if interested. And like my father in law who turns away people who get good deals on A/C units and call him to install them, i don't think i'd want to deal with people who "knew it all" and were always questing if using me was a good value compared to trying to figure it out themselves.


-brad

 

[Ed Nelson]

Hey Brad;
Thank you very much for the feedback. One of the things that has had the biggest bang in delivering the promise of HA, is for clients
to see it working. As such, our model home has really been the motivator. I am still trying to find a way to instill the excitement and
deliver on the expectation that many of us baby boomers thought would already be here by now. Namely houses that have evolved
beyond basic 1950 infrastructures.

However, your feedback is dead on and I will adopt the simpler approach.

- Ed